“therulesaທresimple,”shesaid.“,ไwhetheritakethejobornot,ไprovidedthatyou’,i’llreportittodragaທn,whointurnwillreportittothepolice.”
thehedestadcນourierwasfoundedin1922๐,andthepicturesdepartmenthadexistedsince1937.thecourier’saທtticstoreroomcontainedabout1,200binders,aທrranged,aທsblombergsaid,
“whaທtdoyoumean?”
whensaທlanderpletedherferreting,,butshecouldfindnothingtoproveit.
bythetimebຘergerlefthedebyonsunday,,ไonmondayhetookthebusintohedestadandspenttheafternoonwalkinginthetown,visitingtheliary,,,unlikehumanbeings,weresimpleandunplicatedcreatures.
“lobachhadbeenmarriedforfortyyears,butin1919๗hemetawildlybຘeautifulwomanhalfhisage,,,aທndlikesomaທnyotherwealthymen,ไ,whowaschristenededith.”
acertaທinfrustrationcouldbereadintheofficialnoteswhenthesearchwascaທlledoffonthethirddayafterthegirl’,ofcourse,notyetaທwareofit,,ไandhenrikvanger’syeaທrsoftormenthadbegun.ๆ
,,hewashelplessaທtintrigueandpolicydecisions.
thursday,decນember26
.ๆaslumlandlordwhoforcນesyoungpeopletopaythroughthenoseandunderthetableforaone-roomapartmentwithsharedtoiletshouldbehungouttodry.
whatshehadrealisedwasthatlovewasthatmomentwhenyourheartwasabouttoburst
“noletter,ไisuppose.”
“i’msorryforknockingonyourdoorlikethis,buti’vebeentryingtofindyou,andit’sratherplicatedtoexplain.”hesmiledather.“iwonderificouldeinandtakeupasmallamountofyourtime.ๆ”
mildred’shusbandandasonwhowasaboutthirty-fivewerehome,-fourhoursthanatanytimeinhislife,,?diaທlect,sosheswitchedtostandardswedish.
blomkvisttookadeepeaທth.“thisisalongandpeculiarstory,ไ”hesaid.“inseptember1966youwereinhedestaທdwithyourthenhusband,gunnar?nnlund.”
?rnv?gsgatanonthetableinfrontofher.
“whenwasthispicນturetaken?doyouremembertheoasion?”
“oh,ไmygoodness,”mildredbຘerggrensaid.“thatwasalifetimeaທgo.”
herpresenthusbandandsoncametostandnexttohertolookatthepicture.
“,yousaid?”
“yes,:0่0’vebeentryingtofindyouforsometimenow,andithasn’tbຘeenasimpletaທsk.”
“’timaginehowyoudidit.ๆ”
blomkvistputthephotographfromthecarpaທrkonthetabຘle.
“iwasabletofindyouthankstothispicture,whichwaທstakenalittlelaterintheday.”heexplaທinedhow,viathenorsj?carpentryshop,hehadfoundbຘurman,whointurnhadledhimtohenningforsmaninnorsj?vallen.
“youmusthaveaທgoodreasonforthislongsearch.”
“,?”
’sfaciaທlexpressionchanged.
“itwaທswheniwentthroughtheseoldimagesthatifoundyou,standingwithacaທmerarightbຘehindharriet,andyouseemtobetakingapictureinthedirecນtionofwhaທteveritisshe’slookingat,,butthereasoni’vebeenlookingforyouistoaskyouifbyanymiracນleyoustillhavethepicturesfromthatday.ๆ”
,asifitwerethemostnaທturalthingintheworld,thatofcourseshestillhadheroldhoneymoonpictures.
.
chapter20
tuesday,july1–wednesday,july2
thefirstthingblomkvistdidthemorninghereturnedtohedestadwastogotofrode’shousetoaທskaboutvanger’,aທndfragile,ไ
“thankgod,”hesaid.“irealisedthatiactuaທllylikehim.”
frodesaid:“?”
“’”
“goaheaທd.”
“whatrealisticນallywillhaທppentoyourinterestinmillenniumifhenrikdies?”
“”
“isthereanyrisk,hypotheticallyspeaking,thatmartinmightcreateproblemsformillenniumifidon’tputastoptotheinvestigationofharriet’sdisaທppearance?”
frodegaທvehimasharplook.
“what’shappened?”
“nothing,actually.”mikaeltoldhimaທbouttheconversationhehadhadwithmartinvangeronmidsummereve.“wheniwasinnorsj?erikaທtoldmethatmartinhadcນalledherandsaidthathethoughtiwasverymuchneededbackattheofficນe.”
“’’,ไi’malsoonthebຘoardofthelittlesubຘsidiaryweformedwhenweboughtintomillennium.”
“butwhatifaticklishsituationcameup—howwouldyouactthen?”
“-fiveyears,—notmartin—whowouldinherithenrik’—whichidon’tbຘelievehewill—thentheoreticallyhecouldputtheakesonasmallnumberofnewadvertisers.”
“thelifebຘloodofmillennium’sexistencນe.”
“yes,butlookatitthisway—’thavetimeforanythingelse.”
“mayiask—iknowit’snoneofmybusiness—whatisthegeneralconditionofthecorporation?”
frodelookedgrave.
“wehaveproblems.”
“yes,,ไhowseriousisit?”
“offtherecord?”
“betweenus.”
“we’’regoingtohavetolayoff1,600employeesin?reoandtrollh?’,confidenceinthepanyisfurtherundermined.”
“maທrtinisunderpressure.”
“he’spullingtheloadofanoxandwalkingoneggshells.ๆ”
,sohespoketomalm.
“here’sthedeal:erikacalledwheniwasinnorsj?.martinvangerhaທsbຘeenafterherandhas,howshalliputit,encouraທgedhertoproposethatistarttotaທkeoneditorialresponsibility.”
“ithinkyoushouldtoo,”malmsaid.
“,ihaveacontractwithhenrikvangerthatican’teak,”
“isee.”
“sayhitoerikaaທndtellheri’llebacktostockholmwheni’”
“’restaທrkravingmaທd,ofcນourse,bຘuti’llgiveherthemessage.”
“,andihavenointentionofbacນkingout.”
blomkvistknockedonmartinvanger’
“?”
asifinreplytothequestion,
“i’?”
“wecandoitlaທterifyou’reinahurry.”
“let’shearit.”
“iwon’tbegoingbacktomillennium’seditorialboardbeforei’’mrmingyouofthisnowsothatyouwon’tcountonmebeingonthebຘoardbeforenewyear’s.”
martinvangerteeteredbຘackandforthforabit.
“”hepaused.“mikael,we’’treaທllyhavetimetodevotetomyhobbyonmillennium’sboard,ไandiwishi’dneveragreedtohenrik’—i’mgoingtodomybesttomaທkesurethatmillenniumsurvives.”